10-man Rangers hold Bilbao to Europa League goalless draw
Rangers held Athletic Bilbao to a nail-biting goalless draw at home in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, despite being reduced to 10 men early on, Reuters reported.
Bilbao failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage after Rangers defender Robin Propper was sent off in the 13th minute for a foul on Inaki Williams.
The visitors, appearing in the last 16 of a major European competition for the first time since 2015-16, had a couple of clear-cut opportunities in the first half, with both Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet coming close.
However, goalkeeper Liam Kelly produced a series of fine saves to keep them at bay as the Scottish Premiership side defended strongly and even threatened when Cyriel Dessers fired wide from long range, according to Reuters.
Amorim shrugs off Onana mistakes after Manchester Utd held to draw
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim defended under-fire goalkeeper Andre Onana following the Cameroonian's costly mistakes in his side's 2-2 draw at Olympique Lyonnais in their Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday, Reuters reported.
Onana allowed Thiago Almada's free kick to squirm past him in the Groupama Stadium and was also at fault for Rayan Cherki's last-gasp equaliser that denied United victory.
Since the start of last season, no Premier League club's goalkeeper has made more errors leading to goals being conceded in all competitions than Onana.
"It can happen, if you play football, you play a lot of games, you can make mistakes," Amorim said. "If you look at the season, I make more mistakes than them during these last games and these last months.
"The other thing is we have one more game to change everything and that should be our focus, according to Reuters.
Trump trade war with China revives recession, bear market fears
President Donald Trump's trade war rattled global markets anew on Thursday as stocks and oil prices sank amid fears China may once again respond in kind with higher tariffs to match the latest levies imposed by the United States, Reuters reported.
Battered global markets and anxious global leaders welcomed Wednesday's reprieve when Trump suddenly decided to freeze most of his hefty new duties for 90 days.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tried to further assuage skeptics by telling a meeting of Trump's cabinet that more than 75 countries wanted to put in place a process for trade negotiations, and Trump himself expressed hope of a trade deal with China.
But the uncertainty in the meantime extended some of the most volatile trading since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Reuters.
Supreme Court says Trump administration must work to bring back mistakenly deported Maryland man
The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Trump administration must work to bring back a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to prison in El Salvador, rejecting the administration’s emergency appeal, Associated Press reported.
The court acted in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who had an immigration court order preventing his deportation to his native country over fears he would face persecution from local gangs.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis had ordered Abrego Garcia, now being held in a notorious Salvadoran prison, returned to the United States by midnight Monday.
“The order properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,” the court said in an unsigned order with no noted dissents, according to Associated Press.
UK announces further £450m military support to Ukraine
The government has announced a further £450m of military support to Kyiv, as the UK and Germany prepare to host a meeting of 50 nations in Brussels, BBC reported.
Defence officials are convening to "pile pressure" on Russian President Vladimir Putin and force him to end his invasion of Ukraine, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
"We must step up to deter Russian aggression by continuing to bolster Ukraine's defences," he added.
The package includes funding for hundreds of thousands of drones, anti-tanks mines and and repairs to military vehicles, according to BBC.
Weather to remain cloudy today
The weather will be partly to generally cloudy across the country today.
There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at some places in the hilly region and at a few places in the rest of the country, the Weather Forecasting Division has said.
There is also a possibility of light rainfall and snowfall at a few places in the high hilly and mountainous regions of the country.
This is due to the influence of westerly winds and local winds. In addition, there is also the influence of water vapor-rich air coming in from the Bay of Bengal, adds the Division.
Later tonight, the weather will continue to remain partly to generally cloudy in the hilly region and mainly clear in the rest of the country. There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at a few places in the hilly region and at one or two places in the rest of the country.
There is a possibility of light rain and snowfall at a few places in the high hilly and mountainous regions of the country.
Durga Prasai yet to be arrested: Nepal Police
Nepal Police have said that Durga Prasai, who is absconding after being involved in various criminal incidents, is on the wanted list.
Nepal Police spokesperson Deputy Inspector General Dinesh Kumar Acharya said that serious attention has been drawn to the news report published in various media outlets stating that Durga Prasai has been arrested, citing various police sources.
He has requested all concerned not to publish and broadcast misleading news as Prasai has not yet been arrested.
Editorial: Economic outlook brightens
Nepal’s economy is showing signs of steady recovery and resilience, according to latest reports from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB). While the outlook is positive, these institutions say the country still faces some serious hurdles that need to be addressed to maintain this momentum.
The World Bank’s Nepal Development Update (April 2025) has forecast economic growth of 4.5 percent for the current fiscal year, up from 3.9 percent last year. It expects average growth of 5.4 percent over the next two years. The World Bank has attributed this rise to improvements in the services sector, boosted by stronger domestic trade, rising imports and solid performance in hydropower and construction. The ADB’s Asian Development Outlook (April 2025) offers a similar but slightly lower estimate of 4.4 percent growth. It highlights increased hydropower production and better agricultural output—especially in paddy farming—as key drivers of the growth. Both institutions have said that Nepal has managed to bounce back well, despite challenges like natural disasters and travel disruptions caused by the upgrade of Tribhuvan International Airport.
The NRB’s latest report supports this optimistic view. Inflation has eased to 3.85 percent in mid-March of 2025, down from 4.82 percent a year before—well below the central bank’s target. Foreign exchange reserves are healthy, enough to cover more than 17 months of merchandise imports and 14 months of merchandise and services imports, while exports are up by 57.2 percent. These indicators suggest that the country’s economic fundamentals are becoming more stable.
The growth prospects, however, are not without risks. The World Bank has warned that global issues, such as political conflicts, rising prices, and heavy dependence on remittances and tourism, could affect Nepal’s growth. It also said the FATF greylisting has hampered Nepal’s efforts to access international capital markets after having a BB- country rating. The ADB added that ongoing tariff rises may cause a global economic downturn, affecting Nepal’s tourism receipts and remittances, and lower foreign aid could negatively impact growth as Nepal relies on foreign aid to finance development needs.
The government must prioritize reforms and enhance its spending efficiency to maintain this momentum. Promoting private sector growth through clearer laws and regulations, bolstering the financial system, harnessing hydropower potential, and upgrading tourism infrastructure could generate employment opportunities and lessen dependence on remittances. Similarly, the government should act swiftly to implement the Financial Action Task Force’s recommendations to secure Nepal’s removal from the ‘gray list.’ Failure to address this could lead to severe repercussions.